Car Stuff & FIFA World Cup

Rowdier than hockey fans and more loyal than football fans, it’s the best week in four years for soccer fanatics around the world. The 2018 FIFA World Cup began on June 14th, and for the tournament, for many, will be a welcomed distraction from work and outdoor activities for the next few weeks.

In 1928, the FIFA Congress in Amesterdam gave FIFA’s Executive Committee the ‘okay’ to hold a world championship tournament. The nominees for the host country were Hungry, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Sweden. Uraguay, however, was celebrating its 100th year of independence and offered to cover all the event’s costs and travel expenses for all the qualified teams, making it the favored and obvious choice. The second World Cup was held by Italy and the third in France. Although the 4th World Cup didn’t take place the traditional four-years-later due to WWII, FIFA maintained its Zurich office and met again in Luxembourg in 1946. At this meeting 34 teams were chosen to be represented and the FIFA World Cup trophy was titled Jules Rimet Cup, after the 25-year-president of FIFA. The 2018 FIFA World Cup is the 21st tournament hosted by Russia. Interestingly, it’s the first time a World Cup has been hosted on two continents, Europe and Asia. It’s said to be the most expensive World Cup in history at $14.2 billion. Of the 32 teams participating in 2018, 20 are returning participants from the 2014 tournament. 64 matches will be played in total; the championship being played at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow.

Let’s take a look at some popular automotive brands whose home countries are also home to fan-favorite soccer teams!

Land Rover:

Did you know Land Rover was granted a Royal Warrant by the king of London, King George Vi in 1951? Although originally intended to just be used by the Rover Company for the Land Rover Series that launched in 1948, Land Rover eventually developed into the well-known 4WD brand it is today. England’s soccer team won on Monday and are playing for W #2 this Sunday, don’t miss it!

Ferrari:

Did you know Ferrari started as the race division of Alfa Romeo? The company built its first car in 1940, but usually a recognized as becoming an auto manufacture in 1947 when they completed their first Ferrari-badged car. Some other fun facts are that Ferrari was named the world’s most powerful brand in 2014 by Brand Finance and that the 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO became the most expensive car in history when it was sold to American business man Craig McCaw for $38.1 million. Italy didn’t make it to the world cup this year. Critics say their losing season is to blame on the old-school tactics of their manager, Ventura, and lack of chemistry between him and players.

Mercedes-Benz:

Did you know Mercedes-Benz can be traced all the way back to Karl Benz’s 1886 Patent-Motorwagen, which is thought to be the first gasoline-powered automobile. The ‘Mercedes’ part of the brand name is in honor of the most important model series of DMG model automobiles, the Mercedes series, made famous through motorsports. Germany lost on Sunday, but have a chance to redeem themselves this Saturday against Sweden.

Who are our favorite teams?

Here at Heritage, one of the teams we’re cheering for is Senegal. Some might have little confidence in underdogs, but Senegal beat Poland 2-1 on Tuesday, giving them great momentum for Sunday’s match against Japan. Yes, we’re also on the Germany’s, the defending champs, bandwagon. How can you not root for the country that’s home to Porsche?!